Wilson, New York
www.gerrijonesphotography.com
Image © Gerri Jones
“Winter Squash Still Life”
Third Place – Self Promotion / Personal
“I wanted a simple composition that would highlight the shape and form of the squash, with a particular accent on the intricate webbing of seeds – nature gives us so many beautiful colors, shapes and forms of nourishment.”
ASMP: What was your inspiration for taking this photo?
Gerri Jones: I started a project this winter creating food and still life photography…I had wanted to do something like this for a long time. I took an online course from 2LIL Owls studio, which kick started my project. I already knew the essentials of good photography and the course helped me organize my thoughts and actually start the project. I live near Buffalo, NY and the winter’s are very long and dreary. It turns out that the dreary soft overcast lighting that was present most of the days, was beautiful for this type of photography. I set up a small area in the corner of my kitchen, near my large window so that I could use natural light for all my work. I have always loved using Lensbaby lenses and decided I wanted to incorporate a comparison of some of the lensbaby lenses (which can produce painterly works of art in camera) with my 50mm lens and 90mm macro lens. This particular image was one of the first that I shot in my series of many, and was taken with my Nikon 50mm lens.
ASMP: What type of setting do you prefer?
GJ: I loved this project inside my home, because it gave me the ideal flexibility to set up a composition when I felt the lighting would be the most advantageous. It was like a self teaching experiment for me in this type of photography.
ASMP: Is there anything unique about your style or approach?
GJ: As I mentioned, my food/still life project was dedicated to comparing my use of Lensbaby lenses with my Nikon 50mm and Tamron 90mm macro lenses. The lensbaby lenses I used were the Velvet 56, which produces a beautiful glow surrounding subjects. The Lensbaby Twist 60 produces a sharp area in the middle surrounded by out of focus area with twisty bokeh. The Lensbaby Sweet 50 lens produces a “sweet spot” of focus surrounded by blur. All of these lenses produce slightly different effects in camera depending on your choice of aperture.
ASMP: What type of lighting did you use for this image or series?
GJ: I used only natural light for this project. My window faces south and I have good quality of light for most of the day. I used the light mostly coming from the left side, and also used backlighting when the subjects were placed directly in front of the window. I used a variety of methods to control the light, including reflectors – white to bounce light, and black to direct the light away from the subject to create shadows.
ASMP: How long have you been shooting this type of photography?
GJ: I started my journey into digital photography in 2002. I love shooting all types of subjects, including landscapes, macro, animals, weddings, architecture and especially loved photographing flowers. The challenge of arranging and photographing food was something I had wanted to try and do because there are so many options and subjects to highlight. I could cook a meal and tell a story about preparations and ingredients or I could just highlight the simple beauty of food in it’s natural form. I could use props to tell the story with the final presentation or preparation…so many options. Food is a universal form of bringing people together in every culture. This project for me, was a journey in creating something I had not done before. I learned that I really like the dark moody type of food photography, something I had not expected, because I am normally attracted to lots of color!
ASMP: What other photographers’ or artists’ work inspires you?
GJ: There are so many photographers that have inspired me to want to learn more. Currently, I am inspired by the subject of food in general – the many food bloggers that are out there writing about food and producing beautiful photography that tell a story– Eva Kosmas Flores is one in particular. The subject of how we get our food and what we eat is going through a huge change in the past few years that is resonating with the public. Organic food isles are expanding and our choices are so much better. I am also inspired every day by the many photographer friends (some professional and many not) I see posting in my groups on facebook or instagram…their excitement and yearning to learn and share is uplifting.
ASMP: When did you join ASMP and what do you find most valuable about your membership?
GJ: I am not a member. Having the contest open to non-members is a wonderful way to highlight the organization and how it benefits photographers. I am truly honored to have been chosen by the professional judges, as one of the winners of this contest. It really was a thrill for me to find out my image had won third place and appreciate the opportunity to have my work featured.
ASMP: What kind of gear do you use?
GJ: I currently use Nikon D700 full frame camera. I have several Nikon Lenses, Tamron and Sigma. I also have several of the legacy lensbaby lenses as well as the newer lenses, which include Velvet 56, Twist 60, Edge 80, Sweet 50 and 35. I love these lenses because they are all manual lenses that produce creative effects in camera….they have a vintage feel and allow the photographer to express their artistic vision.
ASMP: What do you know now that you wish you had known when you first started your career as a photographer?
GJ: Learn to stop and slow down – learn to see and understand the quality of light.
ASMP: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your work? Go ahead, surprise us with something unique and unusual.
GJ: I will be presenting for my second time at the Creative Photography Conference on May 19 and 20 this year in Southbridge, Mass. The conference is a two day event that highlights ways to bring creative aspects into your photography. It will include learning post processing as well as in camera techniques…there is something for everyone. My main presentation will include still life/food photography using different lens choices, lighting, set-ups and props. We will be painting photo boards for use with these types of set ups. I had a lot of fun painting my own boards over the winter on this creative journey and hope to share what I learned with attendees. My “All About Food” gallery and project can be seen on my website: http://www.gerrijonesphotography.com/p874003870